Volunteer deputy a regular Lifesaver

Tom Payne spends most of his daily commute from Charlottesville to Richmond thinking about how he’s going to spend his free time.
Because after working all day as a state fire marshal, Payne volunteers as a reserve deputy with the Albemarle County Sheriff’s Office. Along with working in the courthouse and directing traffic at various events, Payne also oversees the department’s Project Lifesaver program.
Project Lifesaver is an international nonprofit program developed to help locate people who have Alzheimer’s disease, autism or related illnesses. Clients wear a radio transmitter that allows law enforcement officers to find them quickly if they get lost.
“I enjoy doing this because I get to contribute to something good,” Payne said. “Project Lifesaver is really for the caregiver because it gives them peace of mind. I get back much more than I give.”

Payne started working as a reserve deputy during Terry Hawkins’ administration more than 10 years ago and constantly strives to beef up and support the reservist group, he said. There are now 33 reserve Albemarle sheriff’s deputies.
In the evenings, he can be seen helping direct traffic at various events or leading reservists through their regular meetings. During hunting season, he and other reservists go out with game enforcement to prevent poaching.
“Sometimes I see more deer when I’m out with game enforcement than I do when I’m in the deer stand,” Payne said. “There is always something to do and I enjoy the work.”
Payne became involved in Project Lifesaver in 2004 after working on the department’s search and rescue team looking for missing people. The search team has been lucky enough to find everyone it’s hunted, Payne said.
The team has found all of its Project Lifesaver clients quickly, and everyone wearing their monitors has been found alive.

“We don’t go out looking for the person, we go out looking for the clues,” Payne said.
With Project Lifesaver, Payne and other volunteers must travel to clients’ homes at least once a month to change batteries on the monitors. The monitor, which costs about $200, and regular monitoring are offered for free through the Sheriff’s Office.
“We’ve taken off in the middle of the night looking for [Project Lifesaver] people who went missing,” Payne said. “We really want the program to grow because there is so much need out there. A lot of people don’t think their loved ones need the monitor, but you don’t want to wait until it’s too late.”
About half of the clients have Alzheimer’s and the others have autism, he said.
Randi Rod met Payne several years ago through her volunteer work with Project Lifesaver. Her 12-year-old son, Spencer, has autism and has worn a monitor for more than five years.
Rod learned firsthand the importance of having a Project Lifesaver monitor. Spencer, who has a long history of walking away from home, went missing at age 5 and was found inside a neighbor’s empty house. He had found his way in through an unlocked door, she said
“We’re out searching for him and he’s sitting on the couch as happy as a clam eating cereal,” Rod said. Six months later Spencer started wearing a Project Lifesaver bracelet and they’ve had to call sheriff’s officials several times because he was lost.

“Luckily, we’ve always found him [before searchers arrived], but it does help having that extra protection,” Rod said. “You have to be on 24-7 and that’s physically impossible.”
Rod describes Payne as a “big teddy bear” who works hard to promote Project Lifesaver.
“He sits down and talks to the children … even if they don’t understand what he’s talking about,” Rod said. “He’s so sweet and gentle.”
Albemarle County Sheriff J.E. “Chip” Harding, who nominated Payne for the Distinguished Dozen honor, said Payne is one of the reservists who are always available to help.
“Tom constantly volunteers whenever he’s needed,” Harding said. “What amazes me is Tom is always stepping up.”

Reservists are required to pay for their own uniforms and guns and must attend regular meetings, as well as work in the courts at least eight hours a month, Harding said.
Payne oversees the monthly reservists’ meetings and makes sure volunteers are in place when needed.
With a worsening economy and a shrinking budget, the Sheriff’s Office relies on reservists to handle various projects so deputies can focus on other matters, Harding said.
“I inherited an office that was doing more [with reservists] and my goal was to improve and expand that work,” Harding said.
Payne is planning to beef up promotion of Project Lifesaver in the next year and hopes to expand the program. He also encourages others to volunteer with a program that they believe in strongly.
“I would like to see everyone involved in something they care about,” Payne said.